The Top 11 Investment Pitfalls You – or Your Advisor – Often Commit

Here are the top 11 investment pitfalls I often see individuals ANDadvisors committing.

Note: I'll be discussing these in detail at a complimentary lecture at the Bernards Township Library on 32 S. Maple Avenue, Basking Ridge: Thursday April 30, 7-8:30 pm. Please call Lynne Hilf at 908-204-3031 x4 for more information.

If you’re a “do it yourself” investor, review this check list (below). If you’ve entrusted your investments to an advisor, there’s no guarantee he or she may not be committing some of these avoidable errors!

Splitting up your money amongst various managers “to see who does best” is a terrible idea.“Joanne” has a $3 million portfolio divided amongst 3 managers. One manager takes a very conservative tack, while another manager uses a Wild West approach. How does Joanne decide who’s doing a better job for her – the advisor taking less risk or the advisor who’s betting the farm?

Error #10 – Your portfolio is riddled with overlapping holdings.

You may have a host of mutual funds with appealing names but do you know if your portfolio well-diversified? Or is it missing whole asset classes? I’ve seen portfolios that consisted almost exclusively of large US stocks. What about US mid/small cap companies? International and emerging market stocks? Bonds? Real estate?

Error #9 – You or your advisor “timed” the market (and got it wrong).

They say timing is everything – if only is could be predicted!“Harold” had a $1 million investment account that he said was “dead in the water.” A quick look at his portfolio revealed that his advisor sold half of his portfolio in 2008 (at the bottom of the market) and left it sitting in cash ever since! Harold simply didn’t notice this, and his advisor didn’t tell him. This leads to

Error #8: Buying high, selling low.

Whether you invest yourself – or your advisor invests for you - avoid following the herd. Examples abound of investors who traded 15% rates of return each year for a meager 2-3% by hopping in and out of positions in order to “time” the investment. Staying the course is the best option.

Error #7 – If it’s too good to be true, it is.

This speaks for itself. The only true investment “free lunch” is the benefit of asset allocation diversification. Forget the promises of great returns and magic feats of performance. Don’t repeat the mistake Madoff investors made.

Error #6- Too many eggs in one basket.

Remember Enron? Employees loaded themselves to the gills with employer stock and it all vanished in a puff of smoke. Your employer stock can tank like any other investment. If your broker only pays attention to what he or she is managing (and invoicing for) – and not your 401k plan --this problem could go undetected for a long, long time.

Error #5 - How much are your investments costing you?

Jill’s entire $2 million portfolio consists of “C” mutual fund shares. Jill thought she was being charged a 1% management fee only but the advisor was getting an additional 1% per year via “C” share commissions. A shares in particular extract a heavy initial commission fee (up to 5.75% per year). No wonder A, B and C shares are popular with brokers.

Error #4 -Buy wholesale, not retail.

In the investment world, this means investing in more low cost index funds and avoiding expensive, actively managed funds with 1-3% annual fees, including fees you pay to help the mutual fund market its fund to others! Expense is a big predictor of net investment performance.

Error #3 - Looking in the rear view mirror.

Chasing past performance – be it a fund, stock or asset class – is no guarantee of future performance. Reversion to the mean suggests something that did relatively well in the past will “revert to the mean” and be a relative underperformer in the future.

A Certified Financial Planner (preferably fee-only) can tell you if your portfolio is structured to fund your future financial needs.

Eve Kaplan is a Fee-Only (no products sold) Certified Financial Planner® Practitioner with 30+ years of investment/planning experience. Kaplan Financial Advisors upholds the highest fiduciary standards in the planning industry. Eve opened Kaplan Financial Advisors in 2004 to provide comprehensive financial planning and investment management services to single women and couples. Eve can be reached at 908-898-0549 or Eve@KaplanFinancialAdvisors.com. Visit her website at www.KaplanFinancialAdvisors.com

The opinions expressed herein are the writer's alone, and do not reflect the opinions of TAPinto.net or anyone who works for TAPinto.net. TAPinto.net is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the writer.

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